Latest Middle East News: ‘The countdown has begun’: Israel warns new Hezbollah leader after spate of killings

TO Ivor Bennettforeign correspondent

Hamas has hailed the appointment of Naim Qassem as Hezbollah’s new leader as evidence of the group’s recovery. In reality, however, it is a reflection of their lack of choice. Kassem is practically the only high-ranking figure left.

After helping found Hezbollah in the early 1980s, the 71-year-old rose to the position of deputy leader in 1991, becoming one of the group’s most important clerics, guiding its religious and ideological direction.

But he was always considered the eternal “number two”. An effective operator in a supporting role, but not an inspiring figurehead leading the fight against Israel.

Many in Lebanon believe he lacks charisma and personality. He is nowhere near the father figure to some that his predecessor Hassan Nasrallah was. No inspirational speaker.

But now Kassem, due to circumstances, was forced to take the highest position.

Following the assassination of Nasrallah in Beirut in late September, Hashem Safiddin was considered the most likely successor, despite Qassem’s formal superiority. But he too was killed in an Israeli airstrike just two weeks later as the IDF sought to behead Hezbollah’s leadership.

The blow to Safieddine came after rumors spread that he was next in line. It appears that Hezbollah was more cautious regarding Qassem this time.

He is believed to have fled Beirut for Tehran earlier this month, leaving Lebanon aboard Iran’s foreign minister’s plane after visiting the country.

Over the past month, Kassem has made three televised addresses. One of them was a bold call for unity after Nasrallah’s death – a promise to Hezbollah supporters to continue the fight.

However, the second, on October 8, was more conciliatory. He said the armed group supported efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Lebanon.

And perhaps this hints at something – that in Qassem’s hands, Iran’s powerful proxy might take a more cautious approach. Some believe this may be simply because Kassem lacks the courage to pursue more militant policies.

Moreover, Kassem is already a well-known face. Since the outbreak of the conflict with Israel last October, he has been one of Hezbollah’s leading spokespeople, giving interviews to both regional and foreign media.

He is not a military commander who operates in the shadows like those targeted by Israel. On the contrary, he was the center of attention, and that could prove to be an important difference.

For now, however, Israel remains wary, warning that if Qassem follows in Nasrallah’s footsteps, his term in office will be “the shortest in (Hezbollah’s) history.”